A 22-year-old man in Texas has pleaded guilty to five counts including hate crime and hate crime conspiracy, admitting to using Grindr to lure in victims.
Daniel Jenkins is the fourth man to be charged with the crime after his three other accomplices Michael Atkinson, Daryl Henry and Pablo Ceniceros-Deleon all pled guilty back in 2019. They will be sentenced in June and Jenkins will receive his sentencing in October this year where they could get up to 26 years in jail.
The gang’s victims were all duped into thinking they were going on a Grindr meet where they were beaten, robbed, insulted and even sexually assaulted. It’s more important than ever with an app like Grindr to be as safe as you can. Let a friend know where you are going and who with when possible.
Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah said in a statement: ‘These defendants brutalized multiple victims, singling them out due to their sexual orientation. We cannot allow this sort of violence to fester unchecked.’
The problem with crimes such as this is that people are often unlikely to report it. If you’re not out or living in difficult circumstances, jumping onto to Grindr for a clandestine meet up seems like the only outlet for your urges – but also makes you the perfect silent victim. These attacks are doubly cruel because of their very nature, designed to humiliate and shame the victim. We hope the sentence reflects this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsTDBcOBbGY